


The Winter the World Changed

by MaybeItWasMemphis



Category: Smallville
Genre: Clark and Lex are gay in this one, Deal With It, F/M, Fluff later on..., I was pissed at Allison Mack when I wrote this, M/M, Murder, No Smut, Romance, Tragedy, cults are bad mmkay?, rated for murder and emotional distress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:33:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22258753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeItWasMemphis/pseuds/MaybeItWasMemphis
Summary: Lois deals with the emotional aftermath of her cousin, Chloe’s, murder with the help of some unlikely people. The is a dark one, folks. AU in the extreme because Lionel’s good, Jonathan’s an ass, and Lex and Clark are gay. Don’t like it, don’t read it.
Relationships: Background Clark Kent/Lex Luthor - Relationship, Lionel Luthor/Lois Lane
Comments: 14
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Nope. I don’t own Smallville. I was just so pissed at Alison Mack for that cult/sex slave shit that I needed to kill Chloe off to satisfy my anger. 

“ _We mourn the blossoms of May because they are to wither; but we know that May is one day to have its revenge upon November, by the revolution of that solemn circle which never stops – which teaches us in our height of hope, ever to be sober, and in our depth of desolation, never to despair.”_

**\- William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist (novel, not the movie)**

“Here you go, Lois,” Martha Kent handed her a large glass of Jonathan’s best whiskey. She was still numb with shock.

“Thanks, Mrs. Kent,” she offered a weak smile. It didn’t come anywhere close to reaching her eyes. How could it?

“How are you holding up?” Mrs. Kent’s son, Clark, took a seat in the armchair across from the couch where Lois sat, her baby cousin’s blood still staining her shirt. 

“I still can’t believe it,” Lois shook her head. “I’ve never even met Lana. What did she have against Chloe and my uncle?”

Two hours earlier, twenty-one-year-old Lois Lane had arrived to spend her winter break from Metropolis University with her favorite uncle and cousin only to find them both dead. They had been shot to death and were lying in pools of their own blood. 

“Nothing,” Clark shook his head, his jaw clenched. “Absolutely nothing. They took her in, treated her like a member of the family.”

A knock came on the screen door in Kent family’s kitchen. Mr. Kent went to answer it. When he returned his jaw was clenched tighter than his son’s and he was accompanied by two sharply dressed men. One couldn’t be much older than Lois. He was cute and bald, and his concerned eyes automatically fell on Clark. The other man was older, with a shaggy mane of muddy river hair streaked with grey. He was handsome and his concern seemed to be with the younger man standing beside him. 

Lionel and Alexander ‘Lex’ Luthor. Lois knew who they were. They were two of the richest men on earth. Donald Trump had nothing on the Luthor’s. Chloe had been best friends with Clark. When the farm boy’s romantic relationship with Clark was revealed it had made international headlines. 

“Lex, Lionel,” Mrs. Kent greeted although it sounded awfully forced. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“We’d just arrived back at the mansion from Metropolis when we heard what happened,” Lex explained. He tore his eyes away from Clark and gave Lois a truly sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry, Miss Lane. Chloe was a dear friend.”

“It’s Lois.” She took a sip out of her glass. “And Chloe thought the world of you too. A businessman with a soul is what she called you.”

Lex smiled sadly as he took a seat beside Clark and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “I will miss our verbal judo.”

“What of Miss Lang?” Lionel turned to look at Mr. Kent. “Please, tell me that she’s not trying to use her worn-out victim routine to get away with this? Gabe was the best plant manager Luthorcorp’s ever seen. He was a loyal employee and friend. This young lady needs to be punished.”

“She slit her wrists after…what she did.” Mr. Kent was picking his words carefully, being cautious for the sake of Lois’ feelings. “There was no note.”

Lionel nodded as though Mr. Kent’s answer was acceptable.

“Lois, sweetheart, where are you staying tonight?” Mrs. Kent inquired. 

“I already identified the…bod…bodies at the scene,” she didn’t take her eyes off of the ice in her drink as she spoke. “My dad’s flying in in the morning to take care of everything else. I kind of just want to go home to Metropolis.”

“Honey, I don’t think you should be driving right now.” Mrs. Kent shook her head. 

“Mrs. Kent’s right,” Lex agreed. “Even though you may not feel it yet, you’re probably in shock right now.”

“You could stay in the guest room,” Mrs. Kent was quick to offer. 

Oh, dear God, no. As nice as the Kent’s were, she needed out of hillbilly hell. 

“Miss Lane, you are free to ride back to Metropolis with me if you wish.” It was the first time that Lionel had spoken to her since he arrived. “Your father’s a friend. He’s a consultant for Luthorcorp’s weapons division.”

“Do you have any friends who _don’t_ work for you?” Mr. Kent blurted out. Lois had heard from Chloe that Jonathan Kent was a fan of either one of the Luthor men and he wasn’t taking his son’s homosexuality too well.

“My father doesn’t work for Mr. Luthor,” Lois snapped. “He works for the United States military. He freelances as a weapons expert. General Lane works as a contracted consultant, a temporary informational partner that works when he is needed. Now is a really bad time for you to be implying that ANY member of my family is anyone else’s lapdog, Mr. Kent.”

Mr. Kent started tripping all over himself to apologize but Lois held up a hand to stop him. “Forget about it, Mr. Kent.” She didn’t have the strength to engage in a battle of wits with a man who only spoke in homespun platitudes. She looked over to Lionel. “I think I’d like that ride, Mr. Luthor.”

“It’s Lionel, my dear,” he nodded at her. “Your father told me that you’re attending Met U, I take it you live in the dorms?”

Lois nodded before remembering that it was winter break. The dorms were closed until January. 

“I’ve already extended an invitation to your father to stay here in Smallville at the mansion. Why don’t you join us? You can have all the privacy you’d like.” 

It was then that Lois realized that Lionel had only been planning to return to Metropolis as a kindness to her. He must have noticed how much she didn’t want to stay with Kent’s. That was an oddly sweet gesture from someone who had a reputation for being ruthless.

“Yeah, that place is so massive that Lionel and Lex once went an entire week without knowing that the other one was home,” Clark chuckled. He was trying to lighten the mood in the room and Lois appreciated it. 

“Because _that’s_ a healthy family,” Mr. Kent grumbled. 

“Jonathan!” Mrs. Kent had clearly had enough of her husband’s behavior. “Now is most certainly not the time for your mouth!”

Lois saw Clark drop his head onto his boyfriend’s shoulder in both anger and embarrassment. This was obviously something that he was used to, and he didn’t like it. 

“That sounds great, Mr…. Lionel,” Lois quickly corrected herself. “And you can call me Lois.

Lois and Lionel were quick to excuse themselves from what was brewing to be an epic Kent family argument. Lex stayed behind, moral support for Clark, Lois was guessing. Lionel didn’t feel the need to engage her in idyll conversation on the ride to the mansion and for that Lois was grateful. The silence let her stare out the window of the limo at the sun setting on the town of Smallville. Clark had told her that Chloe had left her house not long before she was killed. She was looking at some of the last images her cousin had ever seen before her life was cut tragically short.


	2. Chapter 2

When Lois and Lionel arrived at the Luthor Mansion, Lois found that the exterior of the house did indeed look like the house from the _X-Men_ movies…just as Chloe had once told her. The interior, on the other hand, looked like something out of an episode of _Scooby-Doo_. Everything looked breakable and very expensive. The hallways even had suits of armor, like the ones Shaggy and Scooby regularly hidden themselves inside.

Lionel gave her a bedroom (more like a not-so-small apartment) in the ‘South Wing,’ as he called it. He told her how to order food from the kitchen by pressing five on the phone next to the bed (like she was at a friggin hotel), bid her goodnight, and left her alone to her thoughts…and nightmares. Lois didn’t sleep a wink that night. She cried, passed out, had a horrible dream about watching Chloe and her uncle die, and would wake up in a cold sweat. The pattern repeated itself four times before dawn broke.

Unable to stand the silence any longer and unable to and too scared to sleep, Lois quickly dressed and ventured downstairs to the kitchen. She found Lionel, wearing black slacks and a sweater, seated at the black granite counter with a copy each of the _Daily Planet_ newspaper, the _Smallville Ledger,_ and a black cup of coffee sitting in front of him. Lois couldn’t help but notice the headlines.

**_* LOCAL MAN AND TEEN DAUGHTER KILLED, SUSPECT COMMITS SUICIDE *_ **

A picture of Chloe and her Uncle Gabe were prominently displayed just below the _Smallville Ledger’s_ headline.

**_* MURDER/SUICIDE IN SMALLVILLE *_ **

The _Daily Planet_ kept it short and sweet, and it most certainly was not the headline. It was the small bottom article on the front page. There wasn’t a picture of Chloe or her uncle in sight. It was a disgusting reality of big city life. Murder wasn’t that rare of a crime in Metropolis, so it was barely a blip on anyone’s radar. The only time people in the city paid attention to death was when someone they knew or someone famous died. That detachment from the community was exactly what Lois needed. She wanted to hear all that the police were saying without having to hear about how beloved Chloe was at her high school or how much of a hero her uncle Gabe was to the employees that he managed. Reading all of that would just make the pain worse.

“May?” She took a seat at the counter across from Lionel and nodded at the _Daily Planet_.

“By all means.” Lionel slid the newspaper across to her before calling to the butler. “Robert, bring Miss Lane a cup of coffee, please.” He turned back to look at her. “I noticed you didn’t call for dinner last night. You should have some breakfast. Chef Sally has some of her homemade blueberry oatmeal on the stove.

Lois just nodded with a tight smile. She wasn’t hungry, but she knew that she needed to eat. Lord knew that the General would rain down hell on her if he found out that she wasn’t taking care of herself properly. She picked up the newspaper and began to read.

_* Gabriel “Gabe” Sullivan, 45, and his teenage daughter, Chloe Sullivan, 18, were found gunned down early Friday afternoon in Smallville. The father and daughter appear to have been gunned down by a friend of Miss Sullivan’s, Lana Lang, also 18. Lang had been living with the family for the past year while she finished off her last year of high school while her aunt, who had custody of the girl, lived in Metropolis with her new husband. Police believe that the motive for the double murder was anger. Nelle Porter, 48, Lang’s aunt, told police that the Sullivan’s had asked the teenager to move out of their home because the girls were no longer getting along, nor speaking to each other. Porter also told police that Lang was having a hard time coping with the fact that former high school boyfriend, Clark Kent, 18, had come out as gay and is, as of this writing, in a highly publicized relationship with Alexander “Lex” Luthor, 24. According to police, Lang committed suicide immediately following the murders. Our sources say that no suicide note was found at the scene. The Luthor and Kent families had no comment as of press time. United States Army General Sam Lane, the victims’ uncle, and brother-in-law confirmed that it was his college-age daughter who discovered the bodies on Friday afternoon and alerted the authorities. He asked that press, please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time. General Lane has asked that in lieu of flowers, people, please make donations to the **Smallville Meteor Cleanup Fund** , a cause that was near and dear to both Gabe and Chloe’s hearts. *_

“Lionel?” Lois laid the paper down on the counter.

“Yes, my dear?” Lionel looked up from the article in the _Ledger_ that he was frowning down at.

“What’s the _Smallville Meteor Cleanup Fund_?”

Lois knew that Smallville had been struck by a meteor shower in the fall of 1989 before Chloe had moved to the farming community. Chloe believed that the meteors had somehow caused mutations to the town’s residents. Still, Lois had never heard of the fund.

“It’s a fund that Miss Sullivan created, with both Lex and my backing, whose aim is to rid Smallville of all the remaining meteor rock from 1989. Too many residents have had health problems relating to those rocks,” Lionel shook his head. “The town’s better off without them.”

“Chloe’s Wall of Weird turned out to be real?” Lois was both astonished and feeling incredibly guilty. When Chloe had told her about the boy who could make copies of himself or the girl who could transform into anyone she wanted, Lois had laughed and told her that she had an overactive imagination.

Lionel simply nodded.

Against her better judgment, Lois reached for the _Ledger_ but was stopped by Lionel’s hand atop hers. “I wouldn’t recommend it, my dear.”

Lois pulled her hand back. She was confused by the shock of electricity that shot through her at his touch. She brushed the thought aside. She had more important things on her mind than a schoolgirl crush on an older rich man that was way out of her league. Her heart was too broken, and her soul too devastated for her to act like the college girl that she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story requests are now open on my tumblr page. Just search for @antisocialwonder


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short microchapter to make up for the fact that this story hasn’t been updated in forever. The next chapter is coming soon and will be much longer.

Chloe and her Uncle Gabe were buried on Sunday morning. It snowed, and father and daughter were laid to rest side by side in Smallville Cemetery. Most of the tiny town showed up for the funeral.

Lana Lang was also buried that morning. She was buried in a plain pine coffin in an unmarked grave next to her parents. The only mourner in attendance was her aunt.

The General had flown off back to Washington before the gravediggers had even finished putting the last layer of dirt on the coffins. Lois wasn’t surprised. For General Sam Lane, country came first and family second.

The Luthors had allowed the Lanes the use of the mansion for the reception. The General obviously didn’t attend. Her younger sister, Lucy, had been kind enough to call from Paris to ‘check on things’ after being too busy to even send flowers.

Lois had just finished showing the last guest out when Lionel met her at the front door. She was taken aback when he wrapped his arm around her waist loosely. “Lois, how are you holding up, my dear?”

Lois pursed her lips. “I’ve been better.”

“Lex and Clark are heading to Metropolis for a few days to get away. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind keeping me company for a drink in the study?”

Lois tried to ignore the goosebumps rising on her arms at his closeness and at the fact that he had sought her out for company. “As long as you promise to make it a strong drink.”


	4. Chapter 4

Lois was shocked when they arrived in the study and Lionel let her spend the next two hours talking about and remembering Chloe. He was letting her mourn. They were having a scaled down Irish Wake.

“Seeing as your father is about to deploy back to Afghanistan next week, I take it you were planning on spending Christmas with Gabe and Chloe?” Lionel was seated beside her on the couch, a polite distance away.

“Yeah,” Lois nodded. Now she was either going to have to spend the holidays in a hotel or bite the bullet and fly to Paris to spend them with her narcissistic, gold-digging younger sister. Neither option sounded very appealing to her.

“Well,” Lionel leaned forward and set his tumbler on the coffee table. “If you have no other plans, I would be delighted to have you spend the holidays here.” He reached out and placed a gentle hand on her knee.

Lois was aware of the fact he had said ‘I’ and, not ‘we,’ failing to mention Lex or Clark. She also wasn’t sure how to interpret the hand on her knee. Was it fatherly, skeevy, or placed there with romantic intentions?

Lionel must have read her face and seen her confusion and conflicted emotions. He removed his hand but put a warm smile on his face.

Lois would admit that enjoyed her nightly fireside chats with Lionel. She also enjoyed having breakfast together and reading the paper with him before Lex, and Clark when he was over, were awake. She liked arguing politics with Lex and hanging out with Clark while he shared stories about Chloe. Maybe spending the rest of the month in Smallville would be good for her. It beat solitude and negativity by a mile. “I’d love to stay, Lionel.”


	5. Chapter 5

For the remainder of her stay, Lionel had Lois’ bedroom moved to the east wing, the family wing, where his and Lex’s bedrooms were located. Lois had reasoned that it was another act of kindness on Lionel’s part. With the General gone, she would have been severely isolated in the south wing. No one wanted to feel alone, although Lois had gotten pretty used to that feeling over the years.

Three days later, Lois and Clark both managed to get dragged along to an arts and crafts class that was being held in the Smallville High School gym. The class was making Christmas ornaments and Mrs. Kent wanted them to be reminded of the reason for the season, as she had put it.

Lois, never a very artistic person, tuned out the little old lady teaching the class and just did her own thing. She took a clear glass bulb and made confetti out of the headlines of some old copies of the Smallville Torch, the school’s newspaper, that had Chloe’s name under the headlines. She mixed in some silver and blue (Chloe’s favorite colors) tinsel and replaced the silver top. Taking a glitter glue pen, she wrote on the glass bulb.

_*** 2003, The Winter the World Changed_

_Chloe Marie Sullivan 1985 – 2003 ***_

Mrs. Kent had smiled sadly when she saw it. Clark had awkwardly called it ‘pretty.’ Lex had chosen not to comment on it at all.

Clark and Lex both hung their ornaments on the Luthor family Christmas tree in the mansion’s den. Lois hadn’t. Lionel noticed. That night he had invited Lois to have drinks in the den instead of in the study. He’d politely asked her if he could look at the ornament.

When Lois had handed him the ornament, he had examined it closely. “No overused quotes about Christmas, no macabre quotes about death or loss from the Bible,” he observed. “The Winter the World Change. It’s simple truth. I like it.” Without asking her permission, he got to his feet from his armchair and walked to the Christmas tree. He hung the bulb towards the middle of the tree where it could be seen clearly from couch and armchairs that were situated in front of the fireplace.

Lois was curious if Lionel studied everything with the same focused intensity that he had her ornament and, if he did, what he had learned about her. “I want to remember. I don’t want to mourn anymore.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Honestly, if one more person stops me to say how sorry they are I might get hit with an assault charge.”

Lionel chuckled and took a seat beside her on the couch instead of retaking his seat in his armchair. “I’d happily bail you out, Lois.”

“And cover it up so my hardass father never finds out?” Lois chuckled as she took a sip of her drink. She had opted for tea that night instead of alcohol.

“Anything for you,” he reached over, and his hand once again found her knee. “Plus, I know what you’re feeling right now. I’ve been in your place.”

Lois startled. “What do you mean?”

“My youngest son, Julien, was murdered by his mother when he was just an infant.” Lionel squeezed her knee. “I covered it up. The death was blamed on SIDs. That’s even what I told Lex before sending him away to boarding school to keep him away from his mother. Lillian was dying, cancer, and I didn’t want her to live her final days in an institution.”

“So, you kept her secret.” Lois heart went out to Lionel. She was dealing with the pain of losing a close cousin and uncle. She couldn’t imagine feeling the pain that came with knowing that the woman you loved had murdered your child. She brought her hand to rest atop his on her knew. “Does Lex know the truth now?”

“Yes, he does.” Lionel turned his hand and interlocked their fingers. His eyes found hers and he silently asked if he was crossing the line.

Lois didn’t know where this was going but she liked the way Lionel made her feel. When she was with him, she felt both grown-up and protected at the same time. He was crossing a line, but she was allowing it. She squeezed his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Lionel walked her to her room that night and kissed her cheek at the door. The tears didn’t come that night. She fell asleep feeling pleasantly warm. The nightmares, however, still came.

Chloe, a big smile on her face, turned to face the girl she thought was her friend only to be met with a shotgun blast to the chest. She saw Chloe lying in a pool of blood right next to her front door. Lois saw herself opening that very same door and realizing the loud thud that came with pushing the door came from not a doorstop but her cousin’s head.

She woke up abruptly covered in a sheen of sweat. Tears were streaming down her face…and she wasn’t alone. Lionel say beside her on the bed in a pair of black sleep pants and a white wifebeater. He was rubbing her arm and softly talking to her. “It’s alright, sweetheart, you’re safe.”

“But Chloe isn’t,” Lois began sobbing unable to stop herself.

Lionel seemed to think about it for a moment before he got to his feet. Leaning over, he picked her up in his arms. He carried her down the hallway to his bedroom and deposited her on the bed before closing and locking the door. He walked to his in-suite bathroom and returned for a warm washcloth. He sat beside her and gently washed her face clean of tears just as she was finally starting to gather control of herself.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Lionel threw the washcloth in the general direction of his hamper and crawled into bed. Lois didn’t need an invite to know that she was welcome to join him. She quickly got beneath the covers.

“Nightmare,” Lois gave as an explanation.

Lionel stretched out his left arm in a silent invitation. Lois took it and cuddled up to his chest.

“You’re always welcome her when you have nightmares, Lois.” He kissed the top of her head and his arm tightened around her.


	7. Chapter 7

“Lex, I’m serious. I think you’re dad’s in love with Lois.”

“So I’ve noticed. She’d be good for him.”

Lois froze with her hand on the door handle as she heard Clark and Lex talking in the den. Could she have just heard them correctly? She made a little extra noise, jiggling the door handle before entering the room. “Hey, guys,” she greeted them with a smile. “What are you up to this afternoon?”

“Research,” Lex held up the booklet he was reading, Requirements for Running as a Candidate of the Republican National Convention.

“Who’s running, and for what?” She sat in one of the armchairs across from the couch.

“Me,” Lex looked up for the booklet. “11th District Congressman next fall.”

Lois snorted out a laugh. “Lex, you can’t run on a Republican ticket. You’re gay. Try the Democrats.”

Clark shook his head with an amused smile. “I tried to tell him that.”

“Hey, a Republican ended slavery, a Republican could end the Blue Laws and make gay marriage legal…” Lex argued.

“And he’s off,” Clark mumbled.

“It has happened before,” Lois mused, “the parties switching views. Lincoln was a Republican and signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and in the 1960s, it was the southern Democrats who were against desegregation and equal rights, not Republicans. Things didn’t switch around until Kennedy was in office.”

“Most of the people who hated him were within his own party,” Lex was nodding and looking impressed. “How did you know that?”

“I’m a political science major,” Lois explained. “I graduate in May.”

Lex spent the rest of the afternoon picking Lois’s brain about politics and campaigning. By dinner time, she was employed by Lex Luthor as his new campaign advisor/manager. And here she thought she was going to have a hard time finding work in her field after graduation, and now she was ahead of most of her classmates on the career front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written almost two years ago…meaning before the shitshow that is 2020. The only reason Lex is running as a Republican is because it is CANON. I am NOT pushing my political leanings even though this is being posted two days before the American election. This story is taking place in 2001. It has NOTHING at all to do with the 2020 election and or my own political affiliation.


	8. Chapter 8

That night, Lionel wasn’t home at his usual time, so Lois gathered up all of Lex’s campaign materials and notes and made herself comfortable in the den. She spent the next two hours getting familiar with Lex’s platform and agenda. His ideas were far out for a Republican. He wanted to do away with the Blue Laws and bring government aid into Smallville to help get rid of the meteor rock and finally get the town’s farms back on their feet after spending over a decade in the red. He also wanted to retool the town’s unemployment office. Instead of just paying benefits to the unemployed, Lex wanted to hire ten new full-time employees. Their sole jobs would be assisting people in finding consistent employment. The new employees would cost more in the first fiscal year and the new program roll-out would cost a pretty penny but by the second year, the program would decrease the amount of money the state budget paid out to the Smallville Unemployment Office by a projected 20 to 30%. That money could then be redirected to Smallville’s schools to finance much needed equipment updates and building repairs.

“With these kind if ideas, the man could run for president,” Lois said to herself as she slipped through Lex’s budget-cut ideas.

“Oh, he intends to.”

Lois jumped and turned in her seat to find a tired looking Lionel standing beside the couch. His coat and his suit jacket already discarded; he was unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt so he could roll up his sleeves. “He just has eleven years until he’s of age to qualify to for office.” He took a seat beside her on the couch and leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Lois tossed the file she was reading on the coffee table and got to her feet. She walked to the mini-bar in the corner of the room and poured him a scotch, neat. She was halfway back to the couch when she realized how intimate and domestic her actions were. Too late to back out now, she thought. She walked to Lionel’s side and gently tapped the hand that he had resting on the arm of the couch with the glass.

Lionel opened his eyes and smiled warmly when he saw what she was offering him. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He accepted the tumbler as she retook her seat.

“Bad day?” Lois propped her elbow on top of the couch cushion and rested her head in her hand.

“I had a merger with Wayne Industries’ weapons division fall through and the plant here in Smallville is in an uproar. I didn’t think it was possible, but they’ve found a way to blame Lex and I for the deaths of your uncle and cousin.” Lionel downed his drink in one gulp and then stood and went to pour himself another one.

“How?”

“Lana Lang managed the Talon Coffee Shop and Luthorcorp owns the Talon,” Lionel explained as he came back to the couch with two tumblers and handed her one. Her tumbler contained bourbon, her drink of choice. “People are saying that we should have noticed that Miss Lang was mentally disturbed seeing as she was our employee.”

The good people of Smallville were really reaching with that one. “That is insane. They were my family, and I don’t blame you. Shouldn’t that tell them something?” Chloe had told her that the Luthor’s weren’t well-liked in Smallville because Lionel had bought out a few family farms to build the Luthorcorp Fertilizer Plant. Still, it seemed past time to let bygones be bygones. The plant employed more than half the town. At this point, there would be no town left to employ if not for the Luthor family. And using Chloe and her Uncle Gabe’s murders as a weapon in a war that had started back in the 80s and didn’t involve them in any way just pissed her off. “When’s the next time you’re going to the plant?”

“I have a crisis meeting with Lex on Monday morning.”

“Let me come and speak to your employees,” Lois suggested. “Maybe if they hear me say that I don’t blame you, they’ll back off this fight.”

Lionel reached out and interlaced their free hands. “You don’t have to do that, Lois. They don’t have a leg to stand on.”

She shook her head and squeezed his hand. “I’m doing it for Chloe and Uncle Gabe. Uncle Gabe loved his job and spoke fondly of you and I know Chloe loved Lex and Clark. Neither one of them would want their memory abused this way. I refuse to allow it.”

Lionel pulled on her hand and Lois took the hint. She scooted over until she was pressed up against his side and he wrapped his arm around her. “If that’s what you feel you need to do, you’re a welcome guest on Monday morning.”

“Thank you, Lionel.” She turned her head, leaned up, and kissed his cheek softly. Lois knew what she was doing, and she knew exactly what kind of relationship shift that she was inviting with her actions. She was on an even enough emotional keel to know that she wanted it, wanted him. Age gap, the General’s wrath, and the scorn of Smallville be damned.

Lionel didn’t respond verbally. He turned his head and let his lips lightly brush against hers in the barest hint of a true kiss.

“Lionel?” You could hear the smirk in Lois’ voice when they parted.

“Yes, Lois?”

“How much longer are you going to test the waters before you just jump in?” She playfully raised an eyebrow at him.

Lionel took his turn smirking as he relieved her of her tumbler and set it with his on the coffee table. Chore completed, he reached up and tangled his hand in her hair. “Water’s warm, sweetheart,” he told her before his lips came down on hers.


	9. Chapter 9

That night, Lionel walked Lois to her room with his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. “Would you like to be my date to the Luthorcorp corporate Christmas party tomorrow night in Metropolis?” He asked her before giving her a quick kiss. “We can spend the night at my penthouse in the city and come back Sunday afternoon.”

“Lionel, the press shows up to your parties,” she pointed out. “You’d be racked over the coals as a cradle robber in the society pages.”

Lionel shrugged. “I’ve been called worse, sweetheart. The more we’re seen in public together, the less talk there will be. The press is fickle.”

“Oh, so I’m going to a regular on your revolving door of dates.” Lois teased…and baited.

Lionel rolled his eyes, smart enough to realize what she was doing. “I want you to be my regular and only date, Lois.”

“Lionel Luthor dating a college girl…the world will be scandalized.” She giggled happily.

“Lionel Luthor courting a beautiful, smart 21-year-old political campaign advisor…my friends will be green with envy.”

After a final kiss, Lionel left her to sleep. Feeling truly happy for the first time in forever, Lois was sure the nightmares wouldn’t come that night. She was wrong. She woke up at three in the morning to Lionel gently shaking her.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” He asked as he gently caressed her cheek.

She wasn’t, but she wanted to be. “I want to sleep with you,” was all she said in reply.

Again she fell asleep in his room, cuddled up to his chest. Again the nightmares were kept at bay.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Lois woke up later than usual. It was almost ten, and Lionel was absent from the bed, although she did find a note from him on the nightstand.

_*** Lois,_

_I had an unexpected business emergency in Metropolis. I’ll return to pick you up this evening at six. I’ve taken the liberty of asking Robert to move your things into my room. I think now we’ll both sleep a little easier. In case you nothing to wear, I’ve opened a line of credit for you at Simply Mia’s Boutique on Main Street. It’s not Metropolis level posh, but you, sweetheart, could make anything beautiful._

_~ Lionel ***_

Lois spent the rest of the day ignoring Lex and Clark’s annoyingly knowing smirks and going through Lex’s campaign materials, making notes of her own. It wasn’t until noon that she dragged herself out of the mansion and into Simply Mia’s Boutique. She really hated shopping, but Lionel had been correct. She had nothing to wear. Most of her wardrobe was still in Metropolis in her dorm room.

The owner of the shop, Mia, was charming and helpful. She only carried vintage designer gowns, her tiny small-town shop unable to afford the latest styles. That was fine with Lois. She wasn’t a very fashion-forward woman, and she didn’t put a lot of thought into her wardrobe. If she liked something and it fit the occasion, she wore it. It was as simple as that. She ended up settling on an original Chanel little black dress that stopped just below her knees. Made of black satin, it had long sleeves and a low but not scandalous neckline. It was snug in the bodice but flowed out a little at the waist. Mia had suggested a pair of crimson pumps to give her look a touch of a Christmas feel. When Mia rang up her purchases, Lois saw the look of recognition that passed over the old woman’s face when she saw the name the line of credit was in. “Oh, you know Lionel Luthor?”

Lois didn’t hear the tone of judgment that she did when most Smallville residents said his name, so she felt safe to answer. “The Luthors are old family friends. I work for Lex as a campaign advisor, and Lionel, and I are…close.” She didn’t know how to define what they were, so she didn’t try to.

“Lex’s throwing his hand in the ring, huh?” Mia looked…proud? “I’ve heard rumors he was going to run. Always knew that boy would make a fine politician.” She handed Lois her receipt.

“How do you know the Luthors?” And why didn’t she hate them like the rest of the town did?

Mia chuckled as she placed Lois’ shoes in a fancy looking brown paper shopping bog. “A long time ago, in another life, I was Lionel’s personal assistant. When I retired fifteen years ago, Lionel gave me the money to open this place as a parting gift. As I’m sure you know, being so close to them yourself, the Luthor’s aren’t as cold and heartless as people believe them to be.”

***

Thankfully, Lex and Clark weren’t around when the clock struck six, and Lionel arrived to retrieve her for the party.

Lois decided to wear her hair down and had accented her look with the only nice jewelry she owned, a diamond stud earrings and a small diamond cross necklace.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart.” Lionel smiled when she walked down the stairs to meet him in the foyer.

Lois actually blushed when she reached him, and he gave her a soft kiss. “After tomorrow’s papers hit the streets, you’re gonna have to find yourself a new weapons expert, you know. It’s not too late to call this whole thing off.”

Lionel rested his hands on her hips and smirked at her. “I’m not scared of the General, Lois.” The way he said that made her think he had something over her father’s head and didn’t want to know what it was. Sam Lane was a patriot through and through. That was his problem. He had no problem going around the law if he thought it was for the good of America. “And I’m not scared or ashamed to be seen you on my arm. It’s where you belong. You’re not my dirty little secret, sweetheart.” He leaned down and kissed her.

“Let’s go,” Lois was smiling when they parted.


	11. Chapter 11

The party was exactly as Lois expected it to be. It was full of stiff and boring people drinking too much and dancing to overplayed commercial Christmas music. The women, both young and old, were catty, jealous that her date was the richest man in the room. It made Lois want to laugh. That’s precisely why those women weren’t in her shoes. They cared too much about the money. The older men were alternately glaring at Lionel in jealousy themselves over the pretty young thing on his arm or whispering to each other in stunned disbelief. The younger men were taking detailed mental notes.

After two hours of making polite conversation with Lionel’s employees and business friends, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Want to get out of here? I believe I’ve been polite enough for this holiday season.”

Lois giggled; she’d had a few glasses of wine. “Yes, please.”

***

Lionel’s penthouse was really a three-story house built into the top three floors of an upscale apartment highrise that made Trump Tower look like a lego creation. It was massive. Her entire dorm building could probably fit inside with room left to spare. They both took turns in the spa-like bathroom, getting ready for bed before Lois finally got around to asking Lionel a question. It had been on her mind since they had arrived in the city.

“Lionel, why don’t you live here? You work here in Metropolis, but you travel home to Smallville every day.” Lex living in Smallville made sense. He ran the plant and oversaw the management of the Talon. Lionel living there had never made much sense to Lois at all.

Lionel chuckled as he got under the covers, and she joined him, curling up on his chest. “I do live here, Lois. I normally only spend the weekends with the boys at the mansion.”

“You’ve been staying for me,” Lois realized. She had been waging an inner war with herself since Lionel had asked her to stay for the holidays. The debate had been between her heart and her brain, and her heart had just finally won. “Clark was right.”

“And what, pray tell, was my future son-in-law right about?”

Crap. She hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud. Well, honesty was always the best policy. “I overheard Clark tell Lex that he thought you were in love with me. Lex agreed with him.” Lois squeezed her eyes shut like a child who was waiting for bad news. The bedside lamp was still on, and she was scared to see his reaction to her words.

She received a pleasant shock to the system when she felt warm, soft lips pressing firmly against her own. When Lionel pulled away, he reached down and brushed her hair back from her face. “You have the looks of a supermodel and the mind of a political mastermind. You’re also one of the brashest and most mouthy young women that I have ever met. You’re driven, and you’re independent, but you’re not too tough to allow me to care for you in my own way. I’m happiest when I’m in your company and…I do love you…very much.”

Lois reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you too.”

Lionel smiled wolfishly, right before his mouth came down, hungrily on hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was going to contain a lemon, but I’ve decided against it and changed the rating accordingly.


	12. Epilogue

The next Christmas, Lois had a shiny new edition to her left hand as she hung Chloe’s ornament from the Luthor family Christmas tree. Lionel had proposed on election day…right after his son was elected to the office that he sought…as an openly gay Republican. Smallville had been all for the meteor clean-up and farm aid, and he had won in a landslide. If the town only knew how significant a role Clark played in his fiancé’s political agenda. Clark had some secrets, as Lois had learned in the past year. She stared at the ornament after she hung it. 2001. The winter the world changed. That had indeed been the truth. She had lost Chloe and Uncle Gabe, but she had gained a whole new family that winter. No one could give her back what she had lost, but it was still a beautiful thing that she now had people to share her bittersweet memories with. While she now lived with Lionel in Metropolis, Lois had decided to leave Chloe’s ornament at the mansion in Smallville. It’s where she felt it belong. Just like Chloe.

**_ FINIS _ **


End file.
